Oven or furnace for baking earthenware.



G. LITINSKY` OVEN 0R FURNACE FOR BAKING EARTHENWARE.

APPLICATION FILED 1ULYI|19I6.

1,265,097. I Patented May 7,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

f a a /l /af f f 20 .23 .9. 70 a G. LITINSKY.

OVEN 0R FURNACE FOR BAKING EARTHENWARE.

APPLICATION FILI-:n IuIY I, IQI.

1,265,097. Patented May 7, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

135 E1-g. 0, f3

..95 gwvenrfw G. L ITINSKY.

OVEN 0R FURNACE FOR BAKING EARTHENWARE.

APPLICATION man :uu/1.1916.

1,265,097. Patented May 7,1918. y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- f3 /a F351 4 j l@ A kf K. GEORGIE L ITINSKY, 0F ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA.

OVEN OR FURNACE FOR BAKING EARTHENWAIRE. y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 191s.

Application led July 1, 1916. Serial No. 107,212.

To altar/1.0m z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE LITINSKY, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Elkins, in the county of Randolph and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ovens or Furnaces for Baking Earthenware, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to an improvement in furnaces or ovens for treating earthen materials that require high heating, such as pottery, porcelain, bricks, and the like. The object of the invention is to provide an oven structure for work in this class which will accomplish a desired amount of work, with great economy in fuel, and also lessen the time required for baking, burning, or calcining.

In the drawings- Figure l is a vertical section of a furnace or kiln embodying my improvements; taken on the line 1l, Fig. 4.

Figs. 2 to 7, inclusive, are sections on horizontal planes through the structure in Fig. l they being taken, respectively, on the lines B-C, D-E, F-G, H-I, J- and K, L.

In the construction shown there are three chambers, M, M', M2, in a vertical series, each inclosed by a circular Wall and a domeshaped ceiling or roof. They are formed in a refractory masonry structure, the upper body of which is built up of brick, as at 21, with casings or linings of fire brick, as at 22, at all surfaces where flames and hot bodies contact. 20 is a foundation resting upon the hearth mass 23. The cylindrical wall 13a is carried upward `from the foundation to the top of the structure. In its base portion are constructed a series of furnaces extending somewhat beyond the wall, and each having a lire box 1, an ash pit ltwith the grate at 1b, the door at l for regulating draft and removing ashes, the fuel supply passage 1d adapted to be closed by a stopper le, a water holder lf, and a door lg for controlling the air above the grate. Outside of the furnace, proper, there is a receptacle 24 with which the ash exit of the furnace communicates.'

The flues 16a from the lower furnaces extend up to large openings 16d in the vertical wall of the lower oven M. The back wall 16 of each flue 16a inclines inward and intereeet Wall 25. of the Oven at the line llf, and a large part of the flame and combustion gases are carried, without resistance, up to the curved surface of the ceiling dome which causes then to be evenly distributed over the area of the oven, and part goes directly inward and downward.

26 is a doorway in the wall of the oven through which operatives can pass for introducing articles to be treated, and withdrawing them. During the period of o eration, this is closed by a iireproof rick closure. 7 a is the floor of the bottom oven, see Fig. 5. It is formed of fire brick and is provided with a series of sets of gas aperby the dotted circles in Fig. 5. The outermost annulus is that at 7 f, the next at 7 E, the 1 next at 7h, and the innermost, virtually a circle, at 7i. The ratio of the total area of the apertures 7" to the total area of the annulus 7t is less than the ratio of the total 85 area. of the apertures in the'next section 75* of the floor to the total area of that section. The ratio of the area of the apertures to thel annular area of the second section isl less than the corresponding ratio in the third section, and the ratio between the central apertures 7 and of the inner circle 71 is greater than any of the other ratios.

I have related the apertures and the different parts of the bottom 7 of the oven M 95 in the way just described in order to insure practically perfect distribution of the downwardly moving volumes of gases which are received from the furnaces through the lues 16". ship of parts in the base of the oven will be understood by comparing the vertical sections in Fig. 1 with the horizontal sections in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

In the main vertical walls 13a of the struc- 105 ture there are formed vertical llues 13 and 13h, each being on vertical lines midway of the' vertical lines of two of the adjacent furnaces above described. Twelve furnaces are shown with twelve intervening spaces (as seen in horizontal section). There are nine of the vertical .iues l13 and. two larger ones The apertures of 75 The peculiar structure and relation- 100,

13b, one of the intervening spaces between the furnace chambers (to wit, that in the vertical lines of the doorway 26) lackingI a Hue. But the two terminal flues of the circular series, those at 1'3", have a cross area equal to the cross area of three of the nues 13, so that the total area of the vertical nues for uprising gases is equal to the total area of the inlet lues 16a, each ofthe latter being, in` area', equal to' one of the tlues 13.

The nues 13 and 13b, at their lower ends, communicate with horizontal ducts 12' which', in' turn, communicate with 'a horizontal annular duct 12a iny the lower planes of the ovens bottom structure (see Figs. 1 and 2). 11 and 11 are parallel, horizontal, annular ducts in the horizontal planes of the inner duct 12a. At the center of this bottom structure of the oven there is a pillar 10b. 10',- 10, are ducts leading from the inner', an'-v nular duct 131 tothe second one at 1l,` 10a', 10a', are horizontal ducts leading from the annular duct 11a to that a't 12a'.

Immediately above this system of ducts (10, 11, 11, 10,A 12a) there is a refractory horizontal wall with perfor'ati-ons, as will be understood 0n referring to Fig. 3. ln this are ducts 9, 9a, 9.

And in horizontal planes above these' ducts 9,7921', 9b the refractory material @t they along, the ducts 9', then downward into the annular duct 11, and thence outward through 10, 11a, 10a, 12, 12' and 13'. The gases which pass vertically through the apertures 7b enter the ducts 81 and travel radially in'- ward,E then tl'irough vertical apertures to and along the ducts 9a, then down intothe annular channel 11a, thence through 10, 12a, 12 and 13.

Those which pass downward through the aperturesiof the'y outermost series 7b enter, and travel radially inward along, the ducts 8C, thence down throlighl apertures into, and radially outward along, the ducts 9b, thence down into' the annular channel 121, and thence through 12? to The second oven chamber' M has a vertical, refractory wall casing and dome of tire brick.l For thisvl oven there are also provided furnaces, having a fire b'oX 45, an ashpit y ta, a duct or' line 5, and an inlet opening 5a' communicating with the inter1o'r of the oven'.` The'l upper' part of? thefl'ue 5 is inclined,

las above setv forth, when describing the flue 16, and for the purpose set forth; The inner Wall' 5b of the flue 5 is" irisetfelatively' tov the circular plan of the chamber, as seen in Fics. l and 6. A doorway aty 27 is provided for introducing articles tothe chamber 'and for withdrawing them. At 3b there is a ductor passage leading through the top at the center of the oven chamber M. This, when desired, can'be closed by a refractory closure, such as a layer of lire brick; and when not required, these can be removed.

The bottom or floor 6a of this second oven chamber M is provided with apertures or passageways, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. Here-,- also, the apertures are' in several sets', and those of each set are arranged in predetermined relation to a certain annular part of the' area of the circle of the floor.A The boundaries (between the periphery 6e yand the center) of4 these annular sections ofthe floor area are indicated by the dotted arcs at Gf and 6g. The ratio between the total area of the apertures 6b and the area of the outer'- moet` annulus is less than the ratiov of the totalare'a of the apertures 6c to* the area of the second annulus, and the ratio between the area of the apertures 6c and that of the sec'- ondannulus is less than the ratio between thek area of the' central aperture 6dv and they area of the innermost annulus. Consequently, the streams of gases moving downward from the ceiling dome of this second oven M are uniformly distributed overl the `whole hori-4 zontal area of the chamber.V The incoming streams of gas bring in uniform amounts of heat, as the furnaces t, i? arev uniformly d1s'A tributed inf relatively largey numbers around ment ofthe several sets of escape apertures 6b, 6C, 6d, as above described,

These exit apertures in the bottom of the second oven M may be closed by fire brick, or other suitable closure, when desired, as, for example, in case it should be desired to use the lower oven M for any purpose, and

the further desire to avoid the passage of any heat-carrying gases upward through the flues 6b, 6C, 6d. Ordinarily, however, the apertures' or flues last specified are left contini'iously open.

The'fnrnace at 1l, 4a is provided with doors 4b for introducing fuel, and for controlling or stopping the entrance of air above' the grate, and' with a door at fic to control the entrance of air below the grate, and also to permit the removal off ashes or trash from they ash box'l ta to the receptacle at ila;

body of water is introduced s' in the alst chamber, either by inserting the vessel containing the water or by introducing it directly to the chamber.

The lues 13, 13b, at their upper ends, communicate with horizontal ducts 13c that eX- tend radially inward below the uppermost oven chambers M2. 14, 14",14c are apertures in the floor 28 of this chamber, three apertures for each of the flues 13C. These apertures or openings are in sets, those of each set differing in sizel from those of the others, and being at distances from the center var 1- ing from the distances of those in the other sets for the purpose of uniformly distributing the heat-carrying gases that rise through the iues 13, 13b toward this oven M2. Q9 is a doorway permitting the passage of operatives into and from this oven which, like the doors 26 and 27 can be closed by a removable brick wall when required.

From this uppermost oven chamber the gases nally escape through the stack 15 to the open atmosphere.

A furnace or oven structure, such as above described, can be used as follows. Let it be assumed that common bricks, in their green state, are to be treated in charges containing equal numbers of thousands. Preliminarily, they have been molded and compressed, and `still contain surplus moisture, together with their water of constitution or crystallization. They require apreliminary drying or expelling of surplus water, that is, the water which is present in excess of the water of constitution. Then they require excessively high heating to cause the various reactions and physical changes involved in burning, baking, or calcining.

Let it be further assumed that two of such charges have been preliminarily dried.

Thereupon, one of them is placed in the oven chamber M', the several bricks of the charge being disposed in any suitable way to permit the free access of the heat-carrying gases to them, and the free circulation of these through the mass.

A second charge is similarly disposed in the lower oven chamber M.

A third charge is placed in the upper chamber M2, but these are green articles requiring the aforesaid preliminary drying.

Then the flue or aperture 3b is closed by a refractory stopper. All the lower furnaces 1, 1a are cold, or if they have been previously red, they are completely shut off; the doors at 1c and 1g are closed, and the closure at 1e is inserted.

Fires are started in the furnaces at 4 and are brought up to their highest efficiency in combustion. The flames and products of combustion rise rapidly through the flues 5 and escape into the chamber .M through the passages 5a. After being uniformly distributed at the top of the chamber M over its cross area, they are carried down in uniformly distributed streams through the mass of articles resting on the floor 6, and pass out from the chamber My through the assages 6b, 6c, 6d to the oven M below. he ring in the furnace 4 is carried to such a high degree that, in due time, the articles in the chamber M become white hot.

Soon those which are disposed in the oven M become red hot'from the heat derived from the gases that escape downward from the second chamber M. They maintain the articles in the chamber M at such red heat during the period determined for maintaining those in the chamber M at white heat.

After the gases have passed from the top to the bottom of the chamber M, they ascape through the apertures 7", 7, 7d, 7, to the zig-zag, tortuous passages yin the refractory heat-conserving bottom structure. This abstracts a great part of the heat re'- maining in the gases after they leave the oven, but being still somewhat warm, they readily pass from the zig-zag and circular ducts in the bottom structure to, and up through, the vertical ducts 13, 13". From these they escape through the apertures 14, 14", 14c into the oven M2 where they effect the preliminary ydrying of the green articles in the charge disposed therein. All of the parts of the apparatus, the oven chambers, the ducts, and the ues, are so related that only that quantity of heat is left in the gases at the time they rise in the {iues 13,.

13", which will be suiicient to produce the required draft through the stack 15 after they have finished the work of drying, or lifting the moisture away from, the green articles in the uppermost chamber The design of the parts in relation to each other is such that the followingis an example of what can be accomplished;

If it requires twenty-four hours to thoroughly burn, bake, or calcine, the materials of the charge at white heat in the second oven M, the surplus heat carried downward from this chamber to the oven M so acts during the said twenty-four hours upon the articles in the latter that they require only twelve hours of white heat firing thereafter. And this is effected as follows:

After the treatment of the charge in the second chamber M' hasv been finished, the articles therein are allowed to cool. The fire boX 4 and the ash boX 4a are closed tightly, and all circulation of hot gases, through the flues 5, is stopped. Then the fires in the furnace atl, 1, are started, or brought again into action. `Fuel is supplied through the feedways 1d, and the valves or Stoppers at 1e are removed. The firing in these lower furnaces is raised until the arti-4 cles in the lower chamber M (which, as above described, are at red heat) are brought t0 white heat. And they are maintained at this temperature; but only for a period of twelve hours.l During this period the currents of the heat-carryinggases will rise f throiighrthe flue 16 and will be uniformly dis-tributed over the area of the lower oven M. They passt down in contact with, and among, thek articles therein stored, and finally escape through the apertures 7b to 7e in thel bottom, and then, after traversing the zig-zag or tortuous passageways in' the heat-abstracting bottomstructure, escape through* the fines 13, 13b to the drying chamber h 2.

The heat which is first absorbed by the mass of refractory material at and below the floor 7a,- an'd then again given off by it to the articles in the oven M, is found t0 be of thev utmost importance in respect to economizing fuel. And under some circumstances,- an'd inf treating some articles, Iy use they lower oven only, and by uniformly dikstributing they heat-carrying gases over the area of this oven'and conserving the surplus hea-t carriedby them to thebottom', I can accomplish a given amount of work at much less expense of fuel and in muchwless time thanv those required for treating similar charges in singleeoven furnaces:

But I prefer, in most instances, to combine with this bottoni oven an apparatus such asy the oven M and' its furnaces, separate from those connected tothe lower oven.

rEhe time required for cooling the articles in thel second voyen M is generally much longer than theI time required for maintain*- ing at` white heat the articles in the lower oven M. That is,- during the twelve hours that thel articles in thel lower oven are exposed to white heat, thel articles in the upper oven are cooling to the point where they can-.be removed.

The presence of the water in' the ash chambers 1 and' 4a arealso matters of great importance in respect to obtaining the greatest benefit from the fuel; rIhe masses of material in small particles which are continually dropping, ,or are raked, through the grate bars and fall to the bottom of the ash chamber, still contain burning carbon. And thel accumulation often amounts to a large mass. It imparts high heat to the grate bars and is one of the factors that results in rapidly burning them out. Moreover, there is alwaysv more or less oxygen present in thev ash box, even when the doors are closed, and this uniting with the burning, carbon often forms `large volumes of carbon dioxid gas (CO2). This envelops, to a greater or less extent, the burning fuel on the grate and blankets it against the desired access O'f oxygen, lowers the combustion, and holds down the production of heat.

'Ihe bodies of lwater which I introduce instantly extinguish the dropping particles of flaming and slowly oxidizing carbon; absorbs their heat; and prevents the generating of carbon dioxid and other fire smothering gases. In' this way I am enabled to increase' the inten-'sity of the lcombustiony and `the heat generationE to Va large extent, and hasten the burning and baking of the ea-rthenware.

Important advantages result from the form and arrangement of the openings 1G through which the flames and hot gases pass from the fiues 5 and 16 into the oven chambers- They can come out from the liues on horizontal and on downwardly inclined lines, and also come out in such way as to pass around, and turn down from, the domev ceilings. Consequently, I can practically lill the chambers completely firll with articles to be treated, this being in contr'adistinction from the arrangements of the parts of ovens heretofore used which necessitated the leaving of large open spaces between the tops of the piles of articles and the dome ceilings.

rllhe drawings illustrate the important fact'l that there is a predetermined relationship between the cross areas of each aperture 7b, 7C, 7d, 7e and the cross areas of the ducts in the bottom structure. For exam-ple, it will be seen that the cross area of the aperture 7b is less than the cross area of the duct 8c with which it coiinnunicates; that the area of this duct is less than the duct 9" in the series; and that this, in turn, is less than that of the annular duct 12a. That is to say, the gas which undertakes to enter through a series of ducts through an aperture 7d is slightly resistant and is furnished a passageway which continually expands. This relationship of areas is predetermined for the purpose of permitting the abstraction of as much heat as can be withdrawn without interfering with the draft, and, on the other hand, permitting the gases to pass through without abstraction.

r-"rs above noted, when the articles in chamber M are being heated to white heat, those in chamber M2 are being allowed to cool ott, and much of the heat from chamber M', during the cooling stage, is received in chamberfM and assists in the treatment of the articles therein` At times when the articles in both chambers M and M are being allowed tocool,

the kclosure at 3b can' be opened and the heat from the ovens M and M lcan be allowed to pass upward through the opening at 3b, and this heat further assists in the drying of the green articles that are being preliminarily treated.

rIhe saving of fuel which is reached by carrying the hot products from chamber M to chamber M is very great,- fo'r the heat so transmitted can be utilized for maintaining the contents of the chamber M at redy heat for a long period, such as twenty-four hours. t

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for baking earthenware, an upwardly elongated integral refractory main wall structure, having a relatively elevated primary oven chamber therein and also a secondary oven chamber immediately below the primary chamber, a horizontal thinfloor and ceiling structure between the two ovens, short vertical gas passages through said iioor and ceiling structure, a series of furnaces uniformly distributed around the lower oven chamber and in the horizontal planes of the bottom part thereof, a series of furnaces uniformly distributed aroundv the upper oven chamber and located in the horizontal planes of the bottom part thereof, the hot-gas inlet ducts from the upper furnaces to the upper part of the primary oven, the hot-gas inlet passages extending upward from the lower furnaces to the upper part of the secondary oven chamber, the bottom structure of the lower oven having vertical and horizontal gas escape passages, and the vertical escape flues in the main wall structure communicating with the passages in said bottom structure.

2. In an apparatus for baking earthenware, an upwardly elongated integral refractory main wall structure, inclosing a relatively elevated primary oven chamber therein and a secondary oven chamber immediately below the primary oven, a thin horizontal iioor and ceiling structure between the two oven chambers, short gas passages through said floor and ceiling structures, a series of furnaces in the said main wall structure, arranged in the horizontal planes of the bottom part of the upper oven chamber, a supplemental series of furnaces in the said main wall structure, arranged in the horizontal planes of the bottom part of the lower secondary oven chamber, a bottom structure below the lower secondary oven chamber, elongated vertical escape flues in the main wall structure, and escape passages in the said bottom structure of the lower oven communicating with said escape lues.

3. In an apparatus for baking earthenware, a vertically elongated refractory main wall structure, inclosing three superposed ovens, viz: a primary central oven, a secondary lower oven below the primary oven, and a third upper oven above the primary oven, gas passages in the floor of the primaryr oven communicating with the lower secondary oven, furnaces for supplying hot gas to the upper parts of the primary and the lower oven, respectively, and ducts for conducting gases to the third upper oven from either or both the two aforesaid ovens.

4. In an apparatus for heating earthenware and for similar purposes, the refractory wall inclosing the oven chamber, a. relatively deep bottom structure for the chamber having a number of independent zig-zag gas ducts, apertures communicating with each of said ducts and with the lower part of the chamber, and the escape ducts.

5. In an apparatus for heating earthenware and similar purposes, a vertical refractory wall inclosing a chamber and having inlets for gas near the upper part of the chamber and a bottom structure formed of a relatively deep mass of refractory material provided with a series of tortuous passages, each having its several parts in substantially the same radial planes, and having supply and exit passages communicating with vertlcal escape iiues. v

6. In a burning, calcining or heating apparatus, the combination of the first oven, a second oven above it, a third oven above the second, the'hot gas supplying apparatus arranged to deliver gas to the upper part of the second oven, the ducts arranged to take said gas from the second oven to the first and to withdraw it from the first and deliver it to the third. n Y

7. In a burning, calciningv or heatin apparatus, the first oven, the second ovena ove it, and the third oven above the second, communicating gas passages between the second oven and the first, a gas passage between the second oven and the third adapted to be closed, and draft passages adapted to cause the passage of gas from the second oven to the first and from thebottom of the first to the third oven.

In testimony whereof, I alix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE LITINSKY.

Witnesses:

ROSE A. WEISBERG, GEORGE E. EDELIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, n Washington, D. C.

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